Perseverance
by Disco Ant
Summary: When a virus sweeps through Japan, Lupin and the others find themselves doing whatever they can to survive and escape. Contains violence, language, and death.
1. Chapter 1

This story was inspired by the game The Last of Us. It isn't a complete copy of the game, but there might be similar scenes.  
When I have to write someone saying a lot of words it always comes out awkward. Even reading the words in my head or out loud doesn't help. It still reads weird. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. xD

* * *

ONE

"I see you like my legs," a beautiful woman in her early twenties said with a flirtatious smile.

The geeky looking man sitting across from her blushed and stared at the floor nervously.

"Would you like to touch my legs?" the woman said suggestively.

The mans eyes darted around as if looking for an escape.

"What an idiot," Lupin laughed.

"What are you watching?" Jigen wondered as he walked up and sat down next to Lupin.

"It's this stupid show where they take pathetic guys like Goemon and pair them up with swimsuit models."

"I heard that," Goemon said unhappily.

Lupin looked back at him and grinned. "You should go on this show, Goemon. Maybe they can cure you."

"I'm not sick. It's you who needs help." Goemon stood and walked outside onto the balcony, hoping to get some peace and quiet out there.

Lupin shrugged the remark off and turned his attention back to the show. "Oh, here it comes! The kiss!"

Jigen stared at Lupin, wondering if the man did require some sort of professional help.

"Oh god, did you see that?" Lupin leaned his head back and laughed. "What a goofball! He looks like he's gonna puke!"

Jigen watched the show, trying hard to see the appeal in such a thing.

The woman on the screen giggled as she ran her hand up the man's thigh.

"This is the best part of the show," Lupin said excitedly, following the woman's hand as it moved up towards the man's groin. "Let's see what he does. The last guy took off so fast, it was great."

The woman's hand reached the man's groin and began to massage it. The man stared in disgust as he tried to back away from the touch. Having had enough he stood up and pointed a finger at the woman, ready to say something when the news broke into the show.

"Hello, this is Kai Makoto with Channel 6 News," the news woman said as she sat looking very professional behind a large desk. On the bottom of the screen was the graphic "Breaking News", a smaller caption underneath reading "Explosion at Lin Corporation Labs".

"Aw, come on," Lupin said loudly while glaring at the screen. "It was just getting good!"

"... says the explosion killed six workers and that several others are trapped inside the building," Makoto said in a serious manner. "There is still no word on how the explosion happened or what caused it. Lin Corporation, a highly reputable pharmaceuticals company, made national headlines last year when they developed a vaccine that successfully wiped out the North Fever virus. And since then they have received numerous government grants that-"

"Blah blah blah," Lupin said with a roll of his eyes. He leaned back into the couch and grabbed the phone from his pocket, checking his texts.

"I will be leaving tonight," the last text said. "I'll let you know before getting on the plane."

"Great," Jigen sighed. "Now I get to deal with two bitchy people."

Lupin glared at Jigen and pulled his phone away. "Nosy bastard," he muttered. He looked back at the phone and replied to the text.

"You told her about the job, didn't you?" Jigen was not happy. Nothing ever went right when Fujiko was around.

Lupin smiled as he thought of her. "Yeah," he sighed happily.

"God, you are so hopeless."

"I know," Lupin said with a dumb grin on his face.

Jigen got up and walked to the kitchen for a drink.

...

"Hey," Lupin said into the phone. "You never told me when you were leaving. Whenever you get this message call me back." He ended the call and looked down at his phone in annoyance.

He sighed and walked back to the couch, sitting on the edge of it and staring at the screen. "Three hours of the news and they've told us nothing." He leaned back and yawned.

"I wish you would stop cheating," an angry Goemon said to Jigen as the two sat at the table playing cards.

Jigen laughed. "I'm winning, not cheating. There's a difference."

"You're cheating and you know it." Goemon tossed the cards he held onto the table and stood.

"Not my fault you suck at poker," Jigen said as he gathered up the money he had won.

Lupin glanced at Goemon as he walked by. He looked back at the television and smiled. "Hey, Zenigata is on the news and it isn't because of me."

"What's he saying?" Jigen wondered as he got up and walked to the couch, leaning on the back of it.

Lupin turned the volume up.

"...isolated incident which will be under investigation," Zenigata said abruptly as he stood at a podium.

"Inspector," a reporter shouted. "Is it true that the officer was eating the victim?"

"Eyewitness testimony is still being reviewed at this time," Zenigata answered.

"Does this have to do with the Lin Corp. explosion?" another reporter shouted.

"We have no information to correlate the two incidents."

"What was Lin Corp. working on when the explosion happened?"

Zenigata glared at the reporter. "We don't know anything about that at this time."

"Inspector. I've just received news that people are being taken to nearby hospitals complaining of illness and strange rashes. Is this a new virus we should be worried about?"

"The police are getting the news as you are," he answered. "When we get anything new we will let you know. Thank you." He turned and left the podium as reporters continued shouting out questions.

"Did he get demoted to media dog or something?" Jigen wondered.

Lupin grinned and dialed a number.

"What," Zenigata answered.

"I saw you on TV," Lupin said in a seductive voice. "You were sexy out there."

"Damn it, Lupin! This isn't the time!"

"I can call back later," he said with the same tone of voice.

"That's not what I meant," Zenigata yelled.

"Calm down, old man," Lupin laughed. "So, what the hell is going on out there?"

"Two officers who had been working security at the lab were found eating a lab worker."

"Yeah, I can read," Lupin said in annoyance as he read the caption on the screen in front of him. "What's really going on, though?"

Zenigata walked down a hallway, avoiding the officers rushing from the building. "Lin Corp. was working on something and whatever it was is turning people into... well, we're unofficially calling them zombies."

"Zombies," Lupin said in disbelief.

Jigen and Goemon, who had just entered the room, stared at Lupin.

"What else would you call it?" Zenigata growled. "Look, just stay as far away from Japan as you can."

"Where do you think I'm calling from?"

"Damn it," Zenigata sighed. "Where are you?"

"Tokyo. Why? How bad is this?"

"Bad. Just stay where you are and keep the doors and windows locked."

Lupin laughed. "I'm not a kid, dad. Besides, I think I could handle this."

"This is different. If one of those things bites you you're fucked."

"Wait, you didn't mention anything like that at the-"

"Don't believe the bullshit I'm told to feed the public, Lupin. If the people really knew what was going on..."

Lupin was silent as he stared at the footage on TV.

"Look," Zenigata sighed. "One of our guys was sent in to look for survivors. Five minutes later he ran out screaming about some crazy bastard that had attacked and bit him. He got sent to the hospital and not two hours later he turned into one of those... those things. Witnesses reported odd behavior before he started screaming and rushed the nurses. He bit three of them and ate half of another before he was shot and killed. The three who were bit were taken away and locked inside of a room. Poor bastards probably have another half hour left before they turn." Zenigata sighed deeply and glanced up as his captain walked towards him.

"So, there's nothing to do?"

Zenigata stared down at a report he was handed.

"Call another press conference," his captain told him.

Zenigata nodded. "I gotta go," he muttered, ending the call and walking off.

"Hello?" Lupin glanced at the others and lowered his phone. His eyes moved from it to the TV.

"So?" Jigen wondered. "What is this about zombies?"

"People are becoming zombies." Lupin gave them a serious stare. "This is really happening..."

The three stared at the television as Zenigata walked out to the podium.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

"And is it true that this is a virus being spread by your government?" an irate man asked as he sat across from a man representing the Chinese government.

"That is ridiculous," the man scoffed. "China is innocent in this. We had-"

"Records show that Lin Corp. has worked with your government in the past! How deeply are they involved?!"

"Damn it, Fujiko," Lupin said as he paced the room, his phone pressed to his ear. "I need you to call me! This isn't some damn game! Stop messing around and get back to me!" He tossed his phone onto the table and sat down.

"Believe what you wish," the Chinese man said as he leaned in towards the commentator. "But what you are saying is libelous towards China and her people!"

"All I want is the truth!" the commentator said.

Jigen turned the volume down as the two men continued to bicker. "How long until the military gets here?"

Lupin stared at the table and shrugged.

It had been seven hours since the story of the lab explosion had broken and four since Zenigata gave his last press conference.

Since that time, the military got involved and shut down travel between the regions of Hokkaido and Tohoku from the rest of Japan. Trains stopped running and planes were grounded. All incoming flights were diverted to outside airports. Quarantine zones were quickly built and people who showed no signs of infection were put there.

Nobody knew what happened to the ones who were infected, but had yet turned. They were taken away and never seen again.

"Look," Jigen sighed. "I know you're worried about her, but I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just-"

"Like you give a shit," Lupin spat.

Jigen glared in response and turned back to the TV. He turned the sound up as another report was coming in.

"... more fires are spreading throughout the city as resistance to the military presence is continuing to grow," a newsman said. "The police have been helping to control the crowds and a curfew has been put into effect."

Scenes of burning buildings were shown, followed by footage of a group consisting of young adults and teenagers facing off against the military and police, who used tear gas to keep the crowd at bay.

"We urge the citizens to obey the laws in these horrible times," a man, shown to be the mayor of the city of Koriyama, said. "To those in the resistance groups, please stand down."

"A response from the leader of one of the groups says they will continue to fight," the newsman said. "And this just breaking. Reports of the virus have spread to the region of Chubu, the city of Niigata claiming four victims have been shot and killed by police."

A graphic of the map of Japan was shown, infected cities shown in red, while the neighboring cities were shown in yellow and the areas farther south were shown in green.

"We're still in the green, at least," Jigen said, glancing back at Lupin and Goemon.

"And how long will that last?" Goemon wondered.

"Don't know," Jigen said. He lifted his legs onto the couch and stretched out, laying on his back as he placed his hat on top of his face.

Goemon stared at him for a moment before glancing back at a frustrated Lupin. With nothing else to say or do, he walked to the corner of the room and sat down to meditate.

...

"Sir?" Zenigata said as he entered his captains office. "You wanted to see me?"

The captain sat behind his desk, which was littered with papers and empty packs of cigarettes. "I need you on the front lines," the man said, every syllable making the cigarette hanging from his lips bob up and down.

"Yes, sir."

"Shit, where'd I put that," the man wondered as he frantically went through the papers before him.

Zenigata said nothing. He knew everyone was on edge. The growing stories of infected made everyone in the station a nervous wreck. Even he wasn't immune to those feelings, although he hid them better than anyone.

"Here it is," the captain said, staring at a sheet of paper before handing it to Zenigata. "These are the orders and where each team needs to be. The military is calling the shots. You do as they say."

"Yes, sir," Zenigata said, taking the paper and staring down at it.

"Good luck, Inspector."

"Thank you, sir." Zenigata nodded to the man and left the office.

"Hey, did you hear?" an officer asked another as Zenigata walked towards them in the hall. "The military is thinking of bombing Morioka."

"Are you serious?" the other officer said in shock. "Why the hell would they do that?"

"The infected are growing there."

Zenigata said nothing, glancing at the two men as he passed them.

"But, bombing the place?" the officer said in slight anger. "That's bullshit."

"I know, but, what else is there to do?"

The officer shook his head and walked off.

Zenigata took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Things were escalating faster than anyone would have thought. And now he had to go out there and wait for it to come to him.

...

Lupin quickly reached for his ringing phone and answered it. "Fujiko? Where the hell have-"

"Lupin! You have to get me out of here! Please! There's these things and they're-"

"Wait, slow down! What are you saying?"

Goemon opened his eyes and stared in worry at Lupin. Jigen continued resting, not caring one bit about what trouble that woman had gotten herself into.

"Grant is dead," she cried. "There were these things and they got him! They fucking ate him!"

"Where are you?" Lupin asked as he grabbed his keys and headed towards the door.

"Niigata Airport," she cried. "We're barricaded in an office. Get here now!"

"Where is she?" Goemon asked as he stood.

"Niigata Airport," Lupin answered.

Goemon nodded and the two headed towards the door. He stopped and looked back at Jigen. "You're not coming?"

"Nope," Jigen answered. "Infected are probably crawling all over that place by now and there's no way in hell I'm risking my ass to save that bitch."

"You are heartless," Goemon said, glaring at Jigen.

"And you two are stupid."

Goemon remained silent, giving Jigen an annoyed stare. With nothing to say he turned and started out of the apartment.

"Hey," Jigen called out.

Goemon stopped in the doorway and turned back to him.

"Don't get your sorry asses killed out there," Jigen said, hiding his concern by the almost demanding tone he used.

Goemon said nothing, only nodded, and left.

...

"Sir, look at this." The man in a lab coat stepped back as another man in a suit walked towards him.

"What am I looking at?" the man wondered as he stared down at a glass case with small fungi shoots growing on what looked like the remains of an arm.

"It appears to be a new species of cordyceps," the scientist said. He sat down and spun his chair around to his desk. He started to type quickly on the keyboard, windows popping up on the large screen in front of him as he did.

Every window contained various information about Lin Corp., including the newly received classified information on what they had been working on.

The man scanned the words, which explained the use of cordyceps to fight such things as cancer and liver disease.

"We believe that something went wrong in the mutation process and that this is the source of the virus," the scientist said.

"Is that even possible?"

"We ran some experiments and found that when mature enough, the cordyceps emit spore clouds." The scientist played a video of two mice becoming extremely aggressive and then trying to eat the flesh of the other. "When consuming these spores their actions are similar to that of our human victims."

The man watched in disgust as video was played of a group of infected locked inside of a room. At varying times the people turned, attacking and biting the others. The man turned away as the video became more gruesome.

The scientist looked at the glass case as a faint yellow cloud hovered above the fungi before slowly fluttering to the bottom. "We are running tests to see what, if anything, can reverse the effects of the virus."

"So, an airborne virus," the man sighed.

"Unfortunately, sir."

"Would respirators help prevent this?"

"Full-face respirators," the scientist said with a nod. "The kind that police and military use for tear gas would work well. And I'm sure even the ones used for paint or other toxic fumes would be sufficient."

The man nodded. "I'll write something up for the media to distribute."

"Sir, I think it'd be best if you contacted the government first. Those respirator masks aren't readily available for every person in this country."

"God, I hate dealing with the government," the man sighed. "But, you're right. A run on those could cause more deaths than this virus. I'll see where I get with them."

The scientist watched the man walk off and then resumed his studies.

...

Zenigata finished putting on the last of the riot gear. Sitting on the bench in front of the lockers, he lowered his head and let out a deep sigh.

"Come on, ladies," a soldier yelled as he walked through the locker room. "We need to move!"

The younger officers seemed excited and ready to go out there and kill some infected. The older and more seasoned officers stayed solemn, giving each other looks that said _we are so fucked_.

The officers filed out of the station and boarded military transport trucks. One by one the trucks drove off, heading north to the city of Utsonomiya, the final stand in protecting Tokyo as the virus continued to spread south.

Zenigata sat in the packed vehicle and stared at the floor. His heart raced and his palms sweat. As much as he wanted to run away from all of this, he knew his pride would never let him. He was in this for the long haul.

"When we get there," the soldier riding with them said, "you'll be handed a standard military rifle and a respirator mask. Both of these are important. You are to keep the mask on at all times. Do not take it off for any reason. And do not separate yourself from your weapon. If one of you gets bitten or shows any sign of infection, I will personally shoot you. Got it?"

The officers sat silently, the situation removing all bravado from the young men and making the older officers more nervous.

"Is that understood?" the soldier yelled.

"Yes, sir," the officers said loudly.

"We'll be arriving at the drop-off point in fifteen minutes, so use that time to get your nerves together."

The vehicle was quiet and remained so for the rest of the trip.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

"People, panicked and desperate for an escape, have crowded onto the streets as they make their way to any nearby port." The newswoman stared into the camera, her face expressionless as she read the words before her.

Footage of various roads and freeways filled with stopped cars was shown. That was followed by a scene of the burning remains of an airplane strewn across a runway.

"In airports across the northern regions the people are rushing into stolen airplanes, which are being shot down by the military. These actions have caused even more anger against the military occupations of cities."

Scenes of the fighting between citizens and military flashed across the screen. Aerial shots of navy ships blockading the ports followed.

"In a joint effort with the United States, the Japanese Navy has been busy shutting down ports in order to prevent any ship from leaving. Eyewitnesses have told Channel 6 news that at least ten private boats have been destroyed as they tried to escape."

Jigen sat on the edge of the couch and watched. As the news got worse so did his worries. "He's gonna do something stupid," he sighed. "I just know it."

He stood and walked to the window, staring out at the lights before him, the city aglow in the darkness. He grabbed his phone and called Lupin, every ring making him just that much more impatient as he waited for him to answer.

"Fuck," he sighed, Lupin's voice telling him to leave a message. "Hey. I just heard they're blowing up planes and boats, so don't do anything stupid. Whatever that bitch wants you to do, use the brain in your head for once. The military isn't fucking around with this. And once you get to the airport, call me so I-"

There was a muffled explosion in the distance, the shock reverberating and causing the apartment to shake and the windows to rattle.

"Fuck, what the hell was that?" Jigen wondered.

He stood and watched as the lights in the distance went dark, the darkness making it's way to him until he found himself standing in a pitch black room.

"Just call me," he said, ending the message and using the light from his phone to get him to the kitchen for a strong drink to calm his nerves.

...

"To your right," an officer yelled as three infected came screaming towards the group he was in.

The infected came quick, loud screams and howls piercing the once quiet night air as they charged the line of officers and soldiers.

The screams and howls were silenced by the sounds of gunfire and grenade explosions.

The first wave was wiped out with few casualties, but the noise only attracted more.

Zenigata turned to his right and fired off a few shots, hitting two of the infected.

The infected flinched, their momentum stalled shortly before they continued running.

One of the officers screamed as an infected lunged at him and bit his shoulder.

Zenigata shot the infected until it stopped moving. He looked over at the officer and watched as a soldier casually walked up to the man and shot him in the head.

The soldier glared at Zenigata, who stared at him in disbelief. The soldier then turned and continued shooting at the infected who ran towards them.

"Is that it?" an officer wondered, the night once again silent.

"Let's hope so," the officer standing next to him said.

"Shit," a soldier said as he stood on top of one of the trucks with night vision binoculars. "Fall back," he yelled. "Go!"

The officers didn't understand, some too panicked to move. All of them understood, though, once they heard the loud screams and the footsteps that got louder by the second.

"Find shelter now," the soldier screamed as he jumped from the truck and ran.

Zenigata stood and watched as a group of about sixty or seventy infected raced towards him.

They shoved debris out of their way like it was nothing, their legs easily able to propel their bodies over burnt out cars and large barriers.

Zenigata hesitated for a moment before turning and running away from the infected horde. He watched as the group in front of him scattered, most picked off before they could even get near a structure.

He looked over his shoulder and saw that the infected were getting closer. Hoping to lose them he darted down a small road between two buildings. That plan helped a bit, as now he only had three infected chasing him.

Three turned into seven as he got to the end of the road and found that the street he ran onto was also filled with infected.

"Over here," he heard a man holler.

He looked over to see an officer standing just inside of a half closed door.

"Hurry," the man yelled.

Zenigata changed course and charged the door. The closer he got to it, the closer the infected got to him.

The man lifted his gun and shot at the infected, slowing them down and giving Zenigata enough space to make it inside safely.

The two turned, both having to shove the door closed as the infected pushed on the other side of it.

The door now closed and locked, the two backed away from it and relaxed a bit.

"Hayashi," the man said, extending his hand out.

"Zenigata."

The two men shook hands, giving each other a momentary glance before looking at their surroundings.

They found themselves staring down a hallway, the florescent lights humming above them.

"What is this place?" Zenigata wondered as the two made their way down the hall.

"The Toya building," Hayashi answered. "It's just random offices. My dad used to work here. One of the reasons I picked it. I know all the hiding places." He looked back at Zenigata and grinned.

Zenigata only stared at the man, who had turned and was walking into an office.

"The break room is this way," Hayashi said. "Between the soda machines is a vent. We may be able to get in it and hide until those things go away."

"And why would we do that?" Zenigata wondered, offended that the man would want to do something so cowardly.

"How many bullets do you have?" Hayashi looked back and stared at Zenigata. "Not sure about you, but I'm out. And those things out there sure as hell aren't going-"

He stopped as a shriek was heard nearby.

"Shit," he whispered, body tense as he stood frozen.

Zenigata looked around. He motioned to the man to move.

The man nodded slowly and turned, walking with soft steps through the room and to a door. He got to the door and hesitated, a trembling hand finally able to reach out and slowly turn the handle, the door opening with a loud squeak.

Both men froze as the noises of the infected got closer.

"Go," Zenigata mouthed, pushing the man through the door and following him. He closed the door slowly, tensing as the squeak happened again.

The door clicked closed and they both stared off in front of them as they were now in another hallway, which they happily saw was empty.

"Where to?" Zenigata asked.

"This way." Hayashi took brisk, but quiet steps through the hall. "This door leads to another hallway. The break room is off of it."

Hayashi opened the door and closed it quickly as two infected wandered the hall. "Shit," he said as the infected screamed and threw themselves against the other side of the door.

"We're fine," Zenigata told the frightened man. "We just need to distract them for a little bit." He looked around and grabbed a piece of wood that laid by his feet. "Wait until they're quiet and open the door. I'll throw this and we can run by them."

Hayashi was unsure, but nodded anyway.

"On the count of three, okay?" Zenigata said as he got ready.

Hayashi nodded.

"One. Two."

Three never came, the men staring up as the buzzing above them stopped, the hallway now pitch black as the lights in the building went out.

"Oh god," Hayashi said, the man almost on the verge of a panic attack.

Zenigata glared in the direction of the voice and pulled out his flashlight, turning it on and shining it around. He pushed Hayashi out of the way and cracked the door open, shining the flashlight down the hallway.

The two infected, who didn't seem to notice the light or be bothered by it, stood ten yards from the door, their backs to Zenigata as he watched them.

"What door?" Zenigata whispered as he quietly closed the door.

Hayashi closed his eyes as he got a mental picture. "It's one, two... the fourth door on the right. I mean, no, it's on the left, but to the right. I mean..."

"Calm down," Zenigata told him.

Hayashi nodded and took a deep breath. "We head to the right out this door and the break room is the fourth door on the left."

Zenigata nodded, getting that the first time, but wanting to be sure. "You ready?"

Hayashi took another deep breath. "Sure."

Zenigata slowly opened the door, shining his light on the infected to show Hayashi where they were. He gripped the piece of wood tightly and stepped out into the hall. He pulled his arm back and threw it forward, the wood flying past the infected and bouncing on the floor, sliding to a stop at the end of the hall.

The infected screamed and ran towards the noise.

Zenigata rushed into the hallway and towards the door. Only when he got to it did the infected turn and notice him.

They screamed and lunged forward.

Zenigata glared at them as he held the door open and waited for Hayashi to enter. When he did Zenigata slammed the door shut and pressed his body against it as the infected pounded on the other side.

Hayashi grabbed a chair and propped it against the door.

The two backed off as the door rattled with every hit.

"The vent is over here," Hayashi said.

Zenigata shined his flashlight towards the other end of the room, to where two old soda machines sat.

The area now lit, Hayashi rushed over and worked to get the vent cover off.

Zenigata stood and watched him as he worked his fingers between the thin slabs of metal on the grate and pulled, exposing the small duct behind it.

"We can fit in here," he said as he looked at Zenigata.

Zenigata shone his flashlight into the duct before crawling inside.

Hayashi followed, turning as he grabbed the grate and pulled it back into place.

"Does this go anywhere?" Zenigata wondered.

"It pretty much leads to all the rooms in this building."

Zenigata nodded and started to crawl further into the duct.

"Wait, what are you doing," Hayashi said in a loud whisper. "Fine," he sighed as his question went ignored. "Go and get yourself killed..." He stayed where he sat, the light from Zenigata's flashlight getting dimmer and dimmer.

...

"Come on," Lupin yelled at the traffic as he honked the horn.

He and Goemon had come to a stop, the road in front of them packed with cars going nowhere, various tones of honks filling the air.

"They aren't going to move," Goemon said as he opened the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"It'd be faster if we walked." Goemon gave Lupin a momentary stare before closing the door and walking down the road.

Lupin sighed in annoyance and got out of the car, jogging ahead to catch up with Goemon.

...

Zenigata kicked the grate in front of him open, the metal flying outwards and falling with a loud noise to the floor. He paused, waiting to hear the sounds of any infected. When none came he made his way out of the duct and to the door.

He took a second to check his clip. "Two bullets left," he said unhappily. He knew that if he could make it outside he could rejoin his men and get a few more clips.

He cracked open the door and peaked out into the hallway. Shining his flashlight around he found an exit sign about fifty yards away. Seeing nothing else he made a run for the door, throwing it open and almost falling as he stumbled outside.

As he looked around he saw that the city was a lot different than how it had been fifteen minutes ago.

Some of the buildings had been reduced to rubble. Others were consumed by flames. Cars on the road were burning piles of metal.

He ducked down as an explosion ripped through the building to his right. Hearing a noise behind him he turned and lifted his gun, ready to use his last two bullets to save himself.

"Don't shoot!"

"Hayashi," Zenigata sighed, lowering his gun. "Damn it! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No. That's why I followed you. That place is crawling with those things."

"Yeah, well come on. We need to get someplace safe."

The two ran through empty streets, glancing over as a tank started towards them.

"Hey," Hayashi yelled while waving his arms. "We're over here!"

"Shit! Get down!" Zenigata dove at Hayashi and the two fell to the pavement, the shell fired from the tank flying over their bodies and exploding as it hit the building behind them.

"What are you doing?!" Hayashi said in anger.

Zenigata saw the barrel of the tank moving downwards, aiming itself towards them. He got to his feet and grabbed Hayashi. "Let's go!"

The two men ran as another explosion went off where they had been laying.

"What they hell?" Hayashi screamed. "We're on their side!"

"They don't know that," Zenigata said as the two ran down a street.

They stopped quickly as they faced a large group of infected eating on the bodies of fallen officers. The infected looked towards them and screamed.

"Shit." Zenigata slowly backed away. "Come on!"

Hayashi stared at the infected as they started towards him. He looked back as Zenigata ran. "Wait," he yelled, turning and trying to catch up.

Zenigata ran to a building and looked up at what was left of the fire escape, the first level gone and the twisted metal of the stairs hanging only by a couple of bolts. "We need up there!" he said as he turned and looked at Hayashi.

"I'll lift you up," Hayashi said as he put his hands together and bent down.

Zenigata placed his foot in Hayashi's coupled hands and was hoisted to the stairs. Fingers just able to grab onto the metal, he pulled himself up.

"Hurry," Hayashi yelled as the infected got closer.

Zenigata wrapped a leg around one of the side supports and reached down.

Hayashi reached up towards him and jumped, grabbing Zenigata's hand with both of his.

Zenigata hung upside down. Grabbing Hayashi with both hands, he lifted him up as much as he could. "Crawl up me," he told him.

Hayashi nodded and grabbed onto one of Zenigata's arms. Almost to the stairs, he reached out to grab the metal when he felt himself getting tugged back to the ground. "Oh god, shit," Hayashi said with a quivering voice as he kicked at the infected grabbing his legs and got them off.

"Come on," Zenigata yelled, reaching down with his free hand to grab Hayashi's right arm. His grip was lost as Hayashi began to panic as more infected gathered. He reached up and grabbed his gun, firing his last two bullets at the group and only managing to make them angrier.

"I can't do this," Hayashi grunted as he struggled to pull himself up.

"Yeah you can," Zenigata assured him. He reached down to grab onto the man once again.

"You have to get out of here." Hayashi stared up at Zenigata. "Save yourself!"

"Hayashi, don't," Zenigata said. "We can get out of- Hayashi!"

Hayashi let go, his body falling to the infected gathered below.

Zenigata could only watch helplessly as Hayashi's body was ripped apart, the man's screams sounding for only a moment before they stopped.

* * *

I seem to remember in the game that the runners or screamers, whatever they were called, didn't notice the light from your flashlight. I always turned it off when they were near, paranoid they'd see it and kill me. xD Kind of like when the computer controlled characters would run around and into them. Even though it did nothing I'd still scream at the TV "You idiot! What are you doing?!" as I crouched hidden in the shadows and waited for them to come and kill me.

One night I played the game until two in the morning until I finally forced myself to go to bed. As I laid there I heard a noise that sounded like a clicker. I froze and thought "Oh my god, they're real!" Of course it was just the cat getting into something, but for a split second... xD


	4. Chapter 4

In the game I think it's supposed to be around two days for people to turn when they get bit or whatever. In this story I have it being two hours, as it speeds up the process a little more. Plus, everyone knows things are more crazy in Japan. Japan is like, "Two days, United States? Psh, we get it done on two HOURS." And the United States is all sad, lowering it's head and wandering off all dejected-like. And Japan laughs until it figures out that two hours might not be such a good thing.

* * *

FOUR

Jigen rushed around the apartment, grabbing whatever supplies he could find and throwing them into a backpack.

No matter how much he said otherwise, he knew he had to do what he didn't want to do: leave the secure room and head outside to where the undead walked.

Just the idea of zombies scared him. Having to live amongst them petrified him.

"Shotgun," he muttered, picking the gun up from where it sat on the bed. He got on his knees and looked under the bed, grabbing the small case stored there and pulling it out. He opened the case and dumped it's contents, shotgun shells, into the backpack.

He got to his feet and left the bedroom, picking up the rifle near the kitchen as he walked by it. He got to the door and stopped, making a mental note of everything he had and what he could be forgetting.

Thinking of something, he walked to the bar and grabbed whatever bottles of booze were left. He shoved them in the already full backpack as he made his way to the door.

...

Zenigata had spent the next hour on the roof of the building the fire escape led him to. Most of that time was spent sitting, his body almost limp as his eyes gazed off emptily at the night sky.

He had long ago drowned out the sounds of the infected and the agonizing screams of those they killed.

The one sound that did catch his attention was that of silence.

He got to his knees and looked down at the streets below. Using his flashlight he looked around, seeing and hearing nothing.

Figuring it safe he stood and made his way back down the fire escape. He made sure not to look at what little remained of the man who had given up so Zenigata could live.

Witnessing what had happened already caused him to throw up what little was in his stomach. Dry heaving wasn't what he wanted to do at that point.

He dragged his heavy legs through the streets, staring down at the corpses of those he once fought next to. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew he had to, as the bodies had things he needed. He gagged at each body as he knelt by them, feeling even sicker as his hands picked through their blood soaked clothes.

He took guns, clips, batteries, food, and extra masks.

He felt bad for what he had done, but knew they no longer had use for any of that stuff.

Screams were heard in the distance, Zenigata looking back and standing. He ran off to find a place to pick off the infected should they get there.

With his last escape, he found that a rooftop was the best place to be, and so he found another building that was still mostly intact and scaled the fire escape to the top.

Once there he shone his light around, seeing nobody else there. He picked a spot and set down the supplies he stocked up on, going through each thing and taking a quick inventory of what he had and needed more of.

"Definitely more ammo," he muttered as he loaded his gun with a new clip.

He leaned against the side of a large air conditioning unit and sighed. He jumped as the phone in his pocket started to vibrate.

Thinking it was Lupin again and not in the mood, he took his phone out in annoyance and stared at the screen. He was then shocked to see it wasn't Lupin, but his daughter.

"Toshiko?" he answered in a panic.

"Dad!" she said loudly, her voice almost on the verge of breaking. "Dad, you have to help us! You need to get us out of here! Please!"

"I'll be right there! Where are you?"

"I'm at school," she cried as screams and pounding was heard in the background. "We're in the cafeteria! These things are killing everyone!"

"Just stay where you are! I'll be there as fast as I can!"

"Hurry!" she said, the call ending.

Zenigata stared down at his phone for a moment before standing and rushing to the fire escape.

...

Lupin breathed heavily as he crouched behind what was left of a burned out car. He stared down as he placed more bullets in his clip. "Don't get bit," he yelled.

Goemon stood in the middle of the street and slashed apart the infected that came at him. He glanced towards where Lupin hid, pausing a moment before slicing another infected in half.

The street became quiet, the city around them seeming empty of any threats. Satisfied he got the job done, Goemon walked to the car and around it, stopping as he stared down at Lupin, who still fidgeted with his clip.

Lupin noticed the movement and looked over, jumping when he saw Goemon. "Don't scare me like that," he yelled.

Goemon stared in disinterest at him.

"Are you bit?" Lupin wondered.

"No," Goemon answered with a glare.

"Are you sure?"

"Do you think I'd lie about that?" Goemon said in a slight growl.

Lupin sighed. "Look, I'm just a little creeped out right now, okay?"

"A little?"

"Okay, fine! A lot!" Lupin shoved the clip in and holstered his gun. He stood and looked around. "How far are we to the airport?"

Goemon pointed to the west, the first light of morning reflecting off the glass of the buildings in the distance. "It's past those buildings."

"The small ones?"

"The big ones."

"Great," Lupin sighed, the buildings about twelve blocks away. "Okay, fine, let's go."

The two walked down the street, Lupin looking around nervously while Goemon stared straight in front of him.

...

"Is he coming?" a girl with a long ponytail asked the girl with short hair. "Is your dad coming?"

The short haired girl nodded.

"Guys," the ponytailed girl said excitedly. "Toshiko's dad is coming to get us out of here! We're gonna be saved!"

Toshiko, the short haired girl, stared down in worry. Her eyes then focused on the blood that stained her school uniform.

"I... I killed Eiko," she muttered.

Two of the girls nearby looked at her, both saddened by what she said.

"I killed her," Toshiko cried.

"Hey," one of them said as she hugged her. "That wasn't her. That thing wasn't Eiko. You only killed some monster. And you saved Kaori."

Kaori, the girl with the long ponytail, nodded. "You did. You were brave, Toshiko."

Toshiko looked at her two friends and smiled, the three then hugging.

The hug was broken up by the pounding on one of the doors, the girls, as well as the others in the room with them, screaming.

Growls and shrieks were heard on the other side of the door. Soon the door on the other wall was being pounded on.

The girls in the cafeteria, armed with whatever they could find, gathered in the center of the room and huddled together. Their bodies trembled as time slowly passed, the fear of what might become of them running through everyone's mind.

...

Lupin and Goemon stopped as they stood in front of a large sign for Niigata Airport. The two looked at each and nodded before continuing towards the building.

They didn't get far when loud shrieks filled the air.

The two stood back to back as infected came at them in all directions.

"Don't get creeped out," Goemon said as he ran towards the attackers.

Lupin glanced over his shoulder and shot Goemon a quick glare. He looked before him and pulled out his gun, shooting three infected right between the eyes. Things getting a little too crowded, he turned and ran off towards the airport.

"Lupin," Goemon yelled out before slicing the head off an infected. He let out a low growl and followed him, dispensing the shrieking beings that stood in his way.

"Fujiko! Fujiko!" Lupin stopped just inside the entrance and looked around. He spotted a sign that pointed to the left for the main offices and ran that way.

He shot infected as he passed them, not giving them enough time to charge him. Glancing down at his clip to check how much ammo remained, he didn't notice the infected lurking in the shadows.

His only warning it was there was a shriek, unable to turn his head to look at it before he was jumped and knocked to the floor.

The infected loomed over him, Lupin doing his best to keep the thing away, but the creature stronger than he would have thought.

He glanced to his right, to where his gun lay and to where more infected ran towards him in the distance.

Arms tired, the infected inched closer to his face, it's teeth gnashing and ready to take a bite from him.

Lupin pulled his head back as far as he could and closed his eyes, ready for it all to end when his arms flew forward and the weight from his body was lifted.

He opened his eyes and watched as Goemon yanked the infected back before quickly slicing it in pieces. "Goemon," he said happily.

Goemon glared down at him. "What are you doing?" he growled. "Are you that stupid?"

Lupin gave a nervous chuckle as he got to his feet.

"Let's just find Fujiko and leave," Goemon said as he walked by Lupin.

Lupin said nothing and followed.

He didn't have much to do as Goemon killed anything that came at them, Lupin feeling it a good way to relieve the samurai of his anger.

Of course Lupin wasn't helping with that, as every shout of Fujiko's name brought more infected towards them.

Goemon said nothing, however, as he wasn't sure how they'd find her if they remained silent. And slicing apart every door in the building would take too long.

Every passing second of no response made Lupin's heart beat a little faster. He tried to get the negative thoughts from his mind, but knew things were looking grim. He was almost on the verge of breaking down when a muffled cry brought him to his senses.

"There," Goemon said as he pointed down a hall.

The two ran in that direction while calling out to Fujiko.

The muffled responses got louder until they found the door, Goemon slicing it from it's hinges and the two standing before it as it fell to the floor.

The airports remaining eleven survivors, who had sheltered inside the square room, narrowed their eyes as light filtered through the darkness surrounding them.

"Lupin? Lupin!" Fujiko ran forward and hugged him tightly as he hugged her.

"You okay?" he asked.

She pulled back and stared into his eyes while nodding.

He smiled and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"We need to go," Goemon said.

Lupin and Fujiko looked over at him.

"Watch the back, Lupin," Goemon said as he lead the survivors from the room.

"Come on," Lupin said as he draped an arm over Fujiko's shoulders, the two trailing behind the others.

...

The doors to the cafeteria burst open and the infected came pouring in. The girls, scared out of their minds, did their best to fight off the attackers. They were quickly overpowered and, one by one, grabbed, the infected either biting them or ripping them limb from limb.

"What are we gonna do?" Kaori asked with a quivering voice as tears streamed down her face. "What are we gonna do?" she screamed as she began to sob.

Toshiko could only stand and watch as the infected attacked her classmates. She gasped and backed up as one of her teachers, now infected, stumbled towards her.

Kaori screamed and huddled down, closing her eyes and holding her hands to her ears as the other girls screamed and the infected screamed back.

Toshiko backed up until she hit a wall. "Kaori," she muttered as an infected came towards her. "Kaori," she screamed.

Kaori shrieked as her right arm was grabbed. Another infected lunged at her and grabbed her left arm, the two yanking at her as she screamed in pain.

"No," Toshiko screamed in horror as she watched her friends arms be ripped from her body.

Kaori let out a piercing cry as her body hit the floor, the infected piling on top of her and ripping her to pieces.

Toshiko held her hand to her mouth as she started to feel sick. She glared at her once normal teacher and charged forward. "Get away from from me," she sobbed, pushing the infected away and running out of the cafeteria and down the hall.

...

"Holy shit," Jigen muttered as he got to a street packed with wrecked cars. He walked slowly down the center lane and glanced on either side of him.

The cars were heavily dented and some were almost completely covered in blood.

Jigen stopped and backed away as the car he stared at had what was left of a family, random belongings tossed into the car as they tried to escape. "What a way to go."

The sounds of metal hitting the street made him look behind him, his gun pulled from its holster and aimed towards the noise.

The street was eerily silent as he slowly made his way towards the noise. "Come out," he yelled.

He got no response and remained quiet as he got closer to a truck that was sitting on it's side. He pressed himself against the top of the cab and took a deep breath, stepping out and turning. He paused and exhaled, his gun pointed at the head of a girl who looked to be around ten years of age, her clothes dirty and torn and her long hair an uncombed mess.

The girl looked at him in worry as she dropped the empty soda can she held.

"You hurt?" he asked her.

She shook her head no.

"You bit?"

Once again a shake no.

Jigen nodded and relaxed some. "You the only one left?"

She nodded as tears rolled down her face.

"Yeah?" Jigen holstered his gun. "I think I am, too."

The girl began to sob and ran towards him, resting her face into his shirt as she cried.

Jigen stared down and let out a sad sigh. He placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.


	5. Chapter 5

I haven't played Last of Us in a while and I had some notes for later chapters on clickers and had no idea what that was. xD And when looking at where these places are I used Google Maps and realized everything in this is really spread out. The map I was using before was small, so everything looked close together and I didn't have any kind of distance chart or anything. It was like Japan for ants. Oh well, Lupin and Goemon walked really fast. Or ran. Ran works, as well. xD Man, there is something in this water. That or the chocolate I ate yesterday hibernated and just woke up. There's nothing like weird wacky authors notes to lead into a serious story filled with death. Whee!

* * *

FIVE

Zenigata had run west through the city until he reached the Tohoku Expressway. Crowded with parked cars and nothing else, he continued south. Knowing he'd never get there in time to do anything he started searching for a faster way.

There was no way he'd get through in a car, too wide to fit into the narrow spaces between lanes and too large to maneuver around obstacles. One thing that would work, though, was a motorcycle or scooter.

He began his search on the highway, finding several motorcycles and scooters he could use, but finding them not in working condition. Frustrated by his lack of luck he continued searching, finally finding a scooter with good tires, plenty of gas and a working battery.

He got on and sped off, winding his way through the highways and streets until he reached Saku. From there he headed west over the mountains, pausing when he saw the sign for Shinshu University.

He followed the roads to the school and sped towards the main building when an infected came at him. Losing control of the scooter, Zenigata crashed to the ground and soon found himself surrounded by fifteen of the once human creatures.

Glaring at the shrieking monsters, Zenigata grabbed his gun and started to thin the attacking mob, which were now running at him.

The clip empty, Zenigata tossed the gun aside and grabbed another, not missing a beat as he continued killing the infected.

A path now clear in front of him, he ran towards the building, rushing through the now battered and broken door and into the darkness.

What he found inside disturbed him, infected who were once students wandering around aimlessly, their school uniforms ripped and bloody.

'Toshiko,' he thought, fearful that he was too late.

He started to sneak by them when he stepped on a piece of glass, the substance cracking and shattering under his heavy step.

Loud shrieks filled the room, the infected staring at him before rushing forward.

Zenigata raised his gun and hesitated, having to tell himself these things were no longer young school girls. The first pull of the trigger was hard, the bullet flying through the air and piercing an infected in the head. After that it was a little easier to dispense the creatures.

As he shot the ones in front of him, a group began to rush him from behind. Grabbing another gun he shot towards them, guns firing from both hands at a quick pace until all infected were laying still on the floor.

The guns empty and with no more ammo, Zenigata tossed the weapons aside and grabbed the rifle strapped over his back.

He snuck quietly through rooms and hallways, following the signs on the wall that pointed the way to the cafeteria. His pace slowed almost to a stop as he got there, the doors beaten in and laying on the floor as trails of blood flowed out into the hall.

"No..." he said, his heart beating fast as he rushed into the room, blood and bodies, or what was left of them, covering the floor.

From the darkness came a scream, an infected running at him. With one shot it's head was blown halfway off.

Zenigata stood and watched as it fell to the floor. Footsteps then caught his attention and he quietly snuck out of the room and into another hallway.

The rifle pointed in front of him and with his finger firmly on the trigger, he walked slowly down the hall. He heard the footsteps stop and then heard what sounded like a door hinge squeaking.

The noise came from the main office, doors on the outside of the room leading to other offices. One by one Zenigata opened the doors, ready for whatever was behind them, but finding nothing.

As he got to the last door he took a deep breath, his slightly shaking hand reaching forward. With a quick pull, the door was open, a blur of a body charging towards him.

A hard object hit his shoulder, the rifle firing and the bullet flying past the attackers head.

Continuing to be beaten with what Zenigata figured out was a pipe wrench, he brought the rifle back and slammed it against the persons head, knocking them down.

The person cried out and got to their feet, ready to attack again when they stopped.

"Toshiko?" Zenigata said in shock as he lowered the rifle. He took off his mask to see her better, relief coming over him.

"Dad? Dad!" Toshiko dropped the wrench and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his chest.

"You're okay," Zenigata said as he held her, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Thank god you're okay."

...

Lupin, Fujiko, and Goemon left the airport and headed south. The group of survivors had departed shortly after being saved, all of them rushing off to find their families and hoping they were still alive.

As the three walked down the debris ridden streets Fujiko looked around. "Where's Jigen? Is he..?"

"He didn't want to come," Lupin said. "Idiot is probably cowering in a corner somewhere," he said with a forced laugh. He could only hope that what he said was true.

Fujiko said nothing, staring down as she walked.

Lupin said nothing as he stared at her, a serious expression on his face. If it were any other time he would have thought the lack of wanting to be perverted around her was strange.

"This way," Goemon said, leading the three onto a highway as they made their way towards Ojiya.

Goemon wondered how his intuition could have been so wrong as he lead them right into a battle between the military and the infected.

As bullets flew past them and grenades and rockets exploded nearby, the three were forced to take cover in a gutted convenience store.

Neither Lupin or Fujiko said anything about Goemon's poor choice, as they knew it wasn't the time.

They snuck through the back of the store and between buildings, away from the fighting. Relieved they were away from that danger, none were too happy to find themselves facing a large group of infected.

"This way," Lupin yelled, running off to his left and down the street.

Fujiko and Goemon followed, Lupin leading them onto Mikuni Highway and the three running south towards the bridge that crossed the Shinano River.

Lupin stopped as they reached the halfway point and waited for the others to catch up. He looked back to see the crowd of infected had grown to a size that even Goemon couldn't easily defeat.

"Come on," he yelled, waiting for them to pass before he continued running again.

"Lupin," Fujiko said in worry.

Lupin looked towards the other end of the bridge and noticed a line of tanks facing them.

One by one the tanks fired.

"Shit," Lupin yelled, stopping as quick as he could and turning to run the other way.

The shells from the tanks flew past them and exploded, bits of infected and large chunks of vehicles flying in every direction.

Lupin grunted as a piece of metal hit him, causing a large gash on his left arm.

"Get down," Goemon yelled, the three taking shelter towards the edge of the bridge behind some overturned cars.

The tanks once again fired, killing more of the infected.

"Clear the bridge," a man yelled, the tanks backing up and soldiers rushing back to solid ground. "Is everyone clear?"

The radio he held crackled. "Area C has been cleared," a voice said. "Areas A and B clear," another voice called out.

"Area D," the man said into the radio. "Are you there?"

Only static came through.

The man glared down at the radio as nearby soldiers gave him looks of worry.

"Damn it," the man yelled. He paused for a second and then held the radio up to his mouth. "Ojiya Strike is ready to go."

"But, sir," one of the soldiers said.

The man gave him an angry and pained look before walking off.

The soldier took a step forward before turning and staring at the city.

"Move out," the man yelled.

The soldier took a last look at Ojiya before turning and walking off with the others.

Lupin held his bleeding arm and stood. "What was that about?" he wondered with a pained voice.

"Lupin," Fujiko said in shock as she saw the blood running down his arm and seeping through the fingers of his right hand as it applied pressure to the wound.

"I'm fine," he said. "I'm fine," he repeated a little louder as Goemon stared at him in worry. "Let's just get out of here and get Jigen."

Goemon nodded and the three continued south on the bridge.

The sounds of jets overhead made them stop, all looking up as a large squadron flew by. More jets followed as the first explosions went off, missiles from the fighter planes racing towards the city and hitting set targets.

"Oh shit," Lupin muttered as the explosions got closer. "Run," he screamed before taking off.

Fujiko and Goemon followed as missiles struck the northern foot of the bridge, the blasts continuing southward.

"Goemon," Fujiko yelled as the bridge began to crumble behind them, cars being tossed into the air and the samurai having to stop as one of the vehicles flew right at him.

Fujiko watched as he sliced the car apart.

"Come on," Lupin yelled, having stopped and staring back at the two as the explosions got closer.

"Go," Goemon yelled as he once again had to slice another vehicle apart.

Fujiko stared in worry and nodded, turning and running towards the southern end of the bridge.

Lupin made it across and continued running until he felt he was a safe distance away. He then stopped and hid behind a large semi.

Fujiko got across the bridge, her body flung forward from the final blasts. She grunted as she hit the pavement, covering her head as small chunks of debris fell around her.

"Fujiko," Lupin yelled as he ran towards her, kneeling down to grab her when he stopped and looked ahead.

As the smoke dissipated, the remains of the bridge appeared: two pylons sticking up from the water, which was filled with twisted metal and large chunks of concrete.

Lupin helped Fujiko up, his eyes never leaving the mangled mess. As she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his body Lupin began to look around. "Goemon..."

Fujiko pulled herself away from him and looked around. "He was right..." She gasped when she saw the remains of the bridge. "There," she finished in a whisper.

The two stood at the foot of the bridge and stared sadly into the water as what was left of the city smoldered in the distance.

...

"So, this thing is spread by spores?" Toshiko wondered as she fidgeted with the mask her father had given her.

"That's what they're saying," Zenigata said.

The two wandered down the Annaka By-pass, their scooter getting them as far as the outskirts of Annaka before running out of gas. Their hunt for a new vehicle had been unsuccessful.

"So, this did have to do with that lab explosion..." Toshiko stared down sadly and sighed.

Zenigata looked from yet another dead scooter to his daughter.

"I saw you on TV," she said. "You didn't warn anyone."

"Do you think I wanted to get up there and say that crap?" he said in a slight growl.

Toshiko said nothing as she stared down.

"Look," Zenigata sighed. "Nobody knew what was causing it, okay? We knew people were getting infected and eating other people, but we didn't know why. I mean, what was I supposed to say? 'We're all going to die, so everybody panic?'"

Toshiko glanced at him and shrugged.

"Let's just get to Tokyo, grab your mother, and get the hell out of here," Zenigata said.

"If she's still alive," Toshiko muttered.

"Yeah," Zenigata sighed. "If she's still alive."

Toshiko wrapped her arms around herself and walked past him.

Zenigata let out a long sigh and followed her.

...

"Yeah, Fujiko," Lupin said in annoyance as the two walked down the street, "I let the motorcycle run out of gas. How stupid of me not to stop at a gas station. Oh yeah, that's right, none of them work!"

"There's no need to be an asshole about it," Fujiko muttered.

Lupin stopped and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "I'm sorry. It's just that-"

"I know," she said, giving him a sorrowful look. "I'm worried, too."

"We're gonna make it out of here," he said seriously as he stared at her. "And look." He motioned to the cars around them. "We're surrounded by gas. All I need is a hose to syphon it out and something to put it in." He forced a smile, which faded as Fujiko stared at him.

A gunshot in the distance made the two flinch.

"Someone's here?" Fujiko wondered as the two ducked behind a car.

"Military, probably. Come on. Maybe we can steal their vehicle."

Fujiko nodded and followed Lupin.

...

Zenigata followed Toshiko as they ran through the streets, the infected that chased them shrieking as they closed the gap.

He stopped and turned, firing his rifle at the group and picking off the closer ones before continuing on.

Toshiko turned and ran down an alley, not happy as a chain-link fence blocked the path.

Zenigata followed and stood, facing the street and waiting for the infected. "You're okay, Toshiko," he said. "I'm right behind you."

Toshiko struggled to climb the fence, finally getting to the top. "I'm up," she called down. "Hurry!"

Zenigata fired at the approaching group before turning towards the fence and jumping up at it, grabbing the mesh and easily scaling it.

"Dad," Toshiko yelled, followed by a loud scream.

Zenigata turned his head and stared in dismay as an infected had grabbed his daughter. "Toshiko," he yelled, jumping to the ground when a gunshot went off.

Toshiko gasped and backed away as the now headless infected fell to the pavement. She then looked up. "Lupin," she said in shock.

He smiled as he approached.

"Lupin," Zenigata yelled as he ran towards his daughter. "What are you doing here?"

Lupin shrugged. "Just trying to get back to Tokyo."

"Here," Zenigata said as he grabbed two extra masks and thrust them at Lupin.

Lupin stared down at them and then back at Zenigata.

"You two need to wear these."

Fujiko looked down at it in slight disgust.

"This virus is spread by spores. If you breathe them in you're infected." Zenigata pushed the masks into Lupin's chest.

Lupin took the masks and handed one back to Fujiko. "Are you serious? Because we haven't run into any spores."

"You will, so put them on," Zenigata said.

Lupin glanced back at Fujiko before putting the mask on. "So, where are you two headed?"

"Tokyo," Toshiko answered.

"Oh." Lupin glanced at Zenigata. "Hey, since you have bigger guns, mind if we join you?" He gave him a hopeful smile.

Zenigata glared at him. "Fine. But, if you do anything to put my daughter in danger, I'll shoot you."

Lupin laughed nervously, he and Fujiko following Zenigata and Toshiko.

...

Jigen sat with the girl in a small storage room, taking shelter there for a quick break after having scavenged for food and water.

"You haven't said a word all day," Jigen said as he tossed her a bottle of water.

The girl took the water and shrugged.

"So, do you have a name or do I have to guess?" Jigen said as he loaded his gun.

"Ren," the girl said softly as she stared down. She opened the bottle and drank the water quickly.

Jigen grinned and tossed her another bottle. "So, Ren, what were you doing out there?"

Ren drank half the bottle and looked up at Jigen. "Looking for my family. My brother... he ran off, so my parents went to find him. But, they never came back." She stared down in sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"What were you doing?"

"Looking for my friends. One of them found out that his stupid whore of a girlfriend was in an infected area, so they left to get her."

"Why didn't you go?" she wondered.

"Because there was no fucking way I was going there. I hate zombies. Plus his girlfriend is a bitch and I hate her."

Ren giggled.

"What?" Jigen wondered.

"You swear a lot."

"Oh," Jigen said, realizing he was with a kid. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Ren shrugged. "My dad swore a lot, so I'm used to it."

"So, where'd your parents run off to?"

"I don't know. My brother didn't want to be here, so I think he tried to take the train back home."

"How old is your brother?"

"Thirteen. He's a brat," she said as she scrunched her face up.

Jigen grinned. "Where do you live? Maybe we can go and see if your family is there."

"Really?" Ren gasped happily.

"Sure."

"But, your friends..."

"They'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

Jigen smiled and nodded. "They've done this kind of thing before."

Ren gave a confused look.

"So, where are we off to?" Jigen wondered as he stood and gathered his things.

"Chigasaki," Ren answered as she stood.

Jigen nodded. "Let's go," he said, waiting for Ren to leave the room before following her.

The two left the building and wandered the streets. A couple of blocks to the south they ran into a group of fourteen survivors.

"You guys going south?" one of them asked.

Jigen stared at them in suspicion. "Yeah. You?"

"We're staying here. Just thought I'd let you know that Kumamoto is a lie."

"What?" Jigen wondered.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" The man chuckled as he walked towards the two. "There's a rumor going around that Kumamoto is some kind of fortified paradise, free of the virus and with plenty of food and water. We've seen a lot of people say they're going there. I'm sure they won't make it that far."

"Oh, we hadn't heard that."

"She your daughter?" the man asked as he smiled at Ren.

"Um, yeah, she is," he answered, not wanting others to get the wrong idea at the fact a grown man is traveling with a girl unrelated to him.

"Well, you take care of her out there. And good luck getting to wherever it is you're going."

"Yeah, thanks," Jigen said, nudging Ren away from the man and starting to walk off.

"Also," the man said.

Jigen froze and turned towards him, ready to pull his gun and kill the man should he try anything.

"Watch out for the military," the man said. "If they catch you, they ship you off to a quarantine zone. And good luck getting out. They have those places locked tight. I'd also think about getting some face masks, like this." The man grabbed his and held it up. "There's word going around this thing is an airborne virus."

Jigen was shocked by that and nodded. "We will. Thanks."

"Good luck, you two," the man said with a wave.

Jigen nodded and Ren waved, the two then turning and walking off.

* * *

Ren doesn't talk much, but once you get her started she just does not shut that effing mouth of hers. xP I tried not to make her say much, but failed. Haha, whatever. I guess she just had nothing to say before, so didn't.


End file.
